Darkened Heart
by CJ.Ruru
Summary: Alfred is a well known detective. He is a part of the FBI and has yet to fail at solving a crime case. He gets partnered with a man known as Arthur, who is a recent addition to the FBI team in Miami, Florida where they live and work. There has been a major homicide, and Arthur and Alfred must team up to solve the case. UkUs/UsUK. Rated M for gore, language and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

Sirens screamed as police and paramedics raced to the scene of a rather gruesome murder. Deep in the woods behind an old apartment complex, a young woman had been found dead by her husband. The first responders happened to be Alfred F. Jones, a well known FBI detective and Ludwig Beilschmidt, the head of Miami's FBI department. The two men were astonished by the scene they approached, Alfred immediately covering his mouth and nose.

"Oh God," he muffled.

In front of them, there was a woman lying naked on her stomach, face first in a shallow creek. There was blood everywhere, including all over the poor victim. Ludwig walked up to the body, looking over it and Alfred came with him. Right away, both men could see dry blood all over her naked body, and maggots swarming around the back of her head and between her shoulderblades. In her back, there were carvings of two words "Pay Back".

"Homicide. No question about it." Alfred stated, now letting his hand drop to his side. Ludwig sighed and crossed his arms, nodding in agreement with Alfred's obvious statement. Footsteps were then heard from behind both men, and Alfred turned to see a blond haired and green eyed man walking towards them.

"You're late, Arthur." Ludwig grunted.

"I apologize, the call was unexpected," the man now known as Arthur answered. He had a soothing British accent, and Alfred was hung up on those emerald eyes. "but I made it before the the paramedics I see."

Ludwig nodded before getting on with his introduction,

"Alfred. This is Arthur, he is a new member on our team, and this is his first case. He moved here from England."

"Nice to meet you," Alfred said, offering his hand to Arthur. Arthur took his hand and nodded.

"You as well." Arthur said. He then wrinkled his nose, looking away. "Oh god, that smells dreadful…" he murmured.

"That's the smell of murder." Alfred said, looking back towards the body.

The paramedics had soon arrived, as did Feliciana and her forensic team. They scoped out the scene while Alfred, Arthur and Ludwig stood back. After about twenty or so minutes, Feliciana stepped back and came towards the three men.

"As you guys probably guessed, this is a homicide. The victim is female, and it seems as though she was killed elsewhere and dumped back here. Poor thing…"

"How long do you think she's been dead?" Alfred asked.

"Not sure yet," Feliciana replied. "though the autopsy and medical exam should be able to tell us that by the end of the day."

"Shouldn't be too hard to find the murderer," Arthur said. "she had to have known her killer. Or someone she knew had a relationship to the killer."

"Good observation," Alfred said with a grin. "that means we will have a fast shot at getting this jackass, and giving her family some sort of peace at mind."

"Alfred," Ludwig said. "I am putting you in charge of this case. You and Arthur will work together and find out who killed this poor woman. Alright?"

"Yes sir." Alfred stated. He turned back to Arthur and said, "You got nothing to worry about dude. I have solved every case given to me. This one will be no different."

Arthur crossed his arms, raising a skeptical brow. "Interesting ego you got there."

"Come on men," Ludwig began. "let's head back to main quarters."

* * *

Towards the end of the day, Alfred and Arthur decided to meet at the medical center to find out who exactly this victim was. That way, the two would be able to start their investigation. At the medical center, Arthur and Alfred met with Eduard, the medical examiner.

"So what did you find out?" Alfred asked. Eduard sighed and said,

"Well, she is twenty-seven years old, and died approximately a week ago. Feliciana was right that she was dumped where she was found. She has two bullet wounds: one to the back of the head and one to the back of her shoulders; both shot from behind. Cause of death was the shot to the head. She has over fifty stab wounds throughout her body, and it seems as though she was stabbed before she was shot."

"Do we have a name or anything?" Arthur asked.

Eduard pulled out his laptop and turned it to show both detectives. On the screen was a missing person's report of a young woman of the name Elizaveta Hedervary-Edelstein.

"A young Hungarian woman, Elizaveta. Seems as though she was a newlywed, disappeared right after her honeymoon. Her husband was the one who reported her missing a day after she didn't come home from the food store. Another day after that, her car was found at the store, indicating that she was abducted."

"As I said before, poor girl…" Alfred said mournfully. Eduard nodded, and Arthur crossed his arms, looking frustrated. He didn't say a word, but just stared at the screen instead. "You alright, Arthur?" Alfred asked.

"Hm?" Arthur looked at Alfred. "Yeah, just looking over the information is all. When are we going to visit her husband?" Arthur asked.

"I'm going to make a phone call, and have him come down for an interview." Alfred said. Arthur nodded before looking at his watch.

"I get off now. I'll check in with you tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright," Alfred confirmed. "Meet me in my office tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing."

With that arrangement made, Arthur turned and left the medical center. Alfred took in a deep breath and glanced at Eduard before asking,

"Am I crazy, or did he seem like he knew something?"

"I don't know." Eduard said. Alfred hummed and turned away.

"Well, I have to find her husband and talk to him. Find out some other possible suspects as well. Thank you, have a good night."

* * *

Arthur sat in his car in the parking lot of his apartment. He didn't want to go inside just yet; he had some things to think over. Could he have really done that to her? Why did he have to be so violent? What did she ever do to him? Arthur shook his head and pulled out his phone. He noticed he had a missed call and voicemail from that monster. Reluctantly, he opened the voicemail and put it to his ear.

"Hey Art, you know who it is. Call me back when you get this. I need a favor from you."

 **AN: Hey guys! This story was previously Dirty Little Secret, but is now Darkened Heart. It is being rewritten into something much better, so I hope you guys like this much better! Please send in reviews to help get these chapters up as quick as possible! Enjoy! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur let out an exhausted sigh and kicked his shoes off at the front door. The Brit headed over to his living room and sat down on his couch. After a moment of allowing himself to decompress, Arthur reluctantly pulled out his phone and dialed the number from the voicemail. After three rings, there was an answer.

"Hey, you called back." the man said. Arthur could tell by his voice that he was probably grinning.

"What do you want, Gilbert?" Arthur grunted.

"As you probably know, I killed-" Arthur cut him off.

"Don't say anything. If you tell me, I'll turn you in." Arthur heard an obnoxious laughter on the other end of the phone call. His frown deepened.

"You're not going to do that," Gilbert cooed. "you turn me in, and I'll share what happened back in England. You'd most definitely get deported as well as lose your job." Gilbert sneered.

"Fuck off," Arthur growled. "I had reasons to do what I did."

"I don't think the court would see it that way."

"What the hell do you want?" Arthur snapped, clenching his fist. He noted his knuckles beginning to turn white as well.

"I'm glad you asked," Gilbert said. "I want you to throw the investigation off course. Lead them on a wild goose chase. Shouldn't be that hard, right?"

"You're going to get caught, Gilbert. And I am not risking my career for someone who ruined my entire life." Arthur sneered.

"Hate to break it to you Art, but Francis was the one who ruined your life. Not me. So you're going to do what I say, or the FBI is going to find out about your dirty little past back in England." The snarky remarks disappeared, and his voice was threatening. There was a long silence before Arthur finally caved.

"Fine." and he hung up the phone.

* * *

The next day came, and Alfred was in his office on the phone. It was eight in the morning and he was not having a good start to his day.

"It's standard procedures, sir. Whether you are a considered a suspect or not is not relevant. You were married to the victim, therefore, you have information that could help with our investigation."

…

"That's what the interview is for!" Alfred snapped. "Okay. Eleven works. See you then. Thank you." Alfred hung up the phone, and sank back in his chair, releasing an exhausted sigh.

"Very professional," Arthur commented. Alfred looked up and saw a smirk on the Brit's lips. "I don't think yelling at the victim's husband is the best way to get him in for questioning."

"He was giving me a hard time," Alfred grunted. "and that only makes me suspicious now."

"So you think that the husband might be the killer?" Arthur asked, sitting down at the chair in front of Alfred's desk. Alfred nodded.

"Yes. If he's innocent, why wouldn't he want to come in for an interview?" Alfred asked. Arthur shrugged his shoulders.

"I think we should look for some other people to interview. People who knew the victim. Coworkers maybe?" Arthur suggested. Alfred nodded, and spun his chair back to face his desk, pulling up the file on Elizaveta.

"She worked part time at a daycare it looks like. Her boss is Tino Vainamoinen. You can interview him first, then talk to some of the coworkers who she interacted with a lot."

"Sounds good to me," Arthur said. "hey, what time is your lunch break?"

"Uh… I'll probably go on it after my interview with the husband. Why?" Alfred asked. Arthur kept a straight faced expression as he asked,

"Want to go out to lunch? I saw a cafe nearby."

"Sure, why not." Alfred says with a grin. "After all, it's important that the hero gets to know his side kick personally!"

Arthur frowned, scoffing as he crossed his arms. "First of all, who said I'm your bloody side kick? And second, I did not intend on this being personal. I just thought it would be a good time to discuss our findings since I'm going to go to the daycare while you talk to the husband." The Brit's cheeks were slightly red and puffed out with his facial expression being one of unamusement.

Alfred couldn't seem to hold back a small chuckle as he stood up and grabbed his notepad and pen. "Okay, okay, Artie," he teased. "it can be as professionally based as you like. But asking a coworker out to lunch without explaining a purpose first, is not very professional. Just saying." Alfred playfully winked at Arthur, brushing past him and leaving the office.

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?!" Arthur exclaimed (more to himself considering Alfred had left the office room). "Whatever…" he muttered to himself, and then left the office as well.

* * *

Interrogation rooms were never much of a welcoming environment. The room had gloomy grey walls, and a large glass window by the entrance. There was a desk in the corner with three chairs, two on one side, one on the other. However, only two of those chairs were filled; one man on each side of the desk.

"So why did you give me such a hard time about coming in today, Mr. Edelstein?" Alfred asked.

Roderich Edelstein was a sophisticated looking man from Austria. He wore glasses and kept his posture upright. He was not intimidated by this investigation whatsoever. Though he didn't seem to emotionally distraught, either.

"I do not think it is appropriate for me to be a part of my wife's investigation. I love her, and would never do anything to harm her." he responded calmly.

"So you two had a good relationship with each other I presume?" Alfred asked. Roderich frowned, looking rather annoyed.

"We just came home from our honeymoon. What the hell do you think?"

"Just answer my question." Alfred demanded.

"Yes, we had a very good relationship… we were together for five years, but we have known each other our entire lives. We grew up together, and we loved each other… looking back, I probably took her love for granted. I never thought I would lose her this way…"

"No one expects to lose a loved one this way," Alfred said, sadly.

"We were planning to have a child…" Roderich said softly, staring down at the table. His face remained blank, but his voice carried the emotions. Alfred was shocked. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine the pain this man was in, and all his suspicions of Roderich were gone.

"It's a terrible thing, and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone." Roderich nodded, staying silent. "Do you need a break?" Alfred asked.

"Please."

 **AN: And the second chapter is up rather fast. :) There's a secret brewing though this time, it's a real secret! I really like this story a LOT more than the original. It makes a lot more sense, and that makes me happy. I think you guys will like this one a lot more! Anyways, thank you to those of you who took the time to review. Your opinions honestly mean A LOT to me, and they are what keep me writing! Remember, the more reviews the faster the updates. ;) Of course follows and favorites are always appreciated as well! Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

A few bells jingled as Arthur opened the door to the daycare, entering the building. There were children running around, playing, reading, napping and doing all sorts of activities that children do. Right up ahead, Arthur spotted the receptionist desk and made his way there. There was a familiar brunette girl with her hair pulled back in a red bow. She had brown eyes and tan skin; sitting there while sorting out papers.

"I didn't know you came here." Arthur said, raising a bushy eyebrow. The girl's head shot up, looking surprised to see the man.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Arthur shook his head, leaning forward onto the desk.

"Doing my job. Is your boss in?" Arthur asked. The girl nodded, and got up, heading into a back room. A few moments later, the girl came back out and said,

"He'll be out in a few minutes if you want to wait around."

"Sure. Thanks, Alayna." Arthur then took a seat on a couch near the desk and the girl named Alayna watched him carefully. Arthur looked back at her and frowned. "What?" he asked.

"Have you…" Alayna paused and got up, walking around her desk and sat down next to Arthur on the couch. "Do you know what happened to my cousin…? I haven't seen him since… well you know…"

"He didn't bring you here?" Arthur asked. "If he didn't bring you here, how the bloody hell did you get out of France?"

Though before Alayna could answer, the manager of the daycare came out from the back. He was a short, pale man with platnum blond hair and violet eyes. He wore a giant smile on his face as he headed towards where Arthur and Alayna were both seated.

"My name is Tino, I'm the manager here," the man said in a heavy Finnish accent. "Lets go outside to make sure none of the youngsters overhear."

"Good idea," Arthur said. He stood up, and glanced back at Alayna. "I'll see you later. I want to talk to you."

Arthur and Tino then exited the building as Alayna went back to her original position. Once outside, Tino and Arthur walked towards the back of the building where there was an empty field, playground and some picnic tables. The two men sat at a picnic table across from each other before beginning the interview.

"So," Arthur began. "what was Liz's attitude at work?" he asked.

"Lovely," Tino answered without a second thought. "she was my assistant manager, and loved working with the kids here. She was friendly and outgoing… all the kids loved her, even the little trouble makers."

Arthur nodded and took notes.

"Did you know her on a personal level?" Arthur asked. Tino then shook his head.

"No, our relationship was professional. Though she did enjoy talking about her wedding plans with all of us, and invited us all to her wedding,which was a lovely wedding. She was madly in love with her husband, and even mentioned that the two of them were planning to start a family of their own."

Arthur continued to take notes on everything that Tino said, and when the Finnish man paused, Arthur took a moment to ask him another question,

"Were you aware if she had any enemies? Or people who simply did not like her?"

Tino shook his head immediately.

"No. Everyone she met she charmed. Liz was a charmer."

"Thank you," Arthur said with a smile. "is there anyone else here who could give me more information?" Arthur asked.

"She was quite close with Emma," Tino said. "the two were friends on more of a personal level. So I'm sure she could help you. She's on right now if you'd like to speak with her?" Tino offered.

"Please." Arthur said.

"I'll fetch her for you now." And with that said, Tino got up and went back to the building to find Emma.

As Arthur waited, his phone began to ring. He glanced at the phone and saw that it was a blocked number. Feeling uneasy, the Brit decided to answer the call.

"Hello?" Arthur answered.

"Salut, Arthur." A familiar Frenchman greeted. "I need to talk to you. Can we meet up tonight?"

Arthur was silent in shock. Instead of properly responding to the request, Arthur growled and spat,

"Why don't you call your precious cousin instead? She made it out of England you bloody twat."

And before the man could respond, Arthur hung up and turned off his phone. Just as Arthur hangs up the phone, Tino returns with a blonde, short haired woman with a brown headband in her hair. She sits down across from Arthur and smiles politely.

"Hello," she greets in a Belgian accent. "I'm Emma."

"I'll leave you two to talk," Tino said, then turned his back and walked away.

"So what do you want to know?" Emma asked anxiously.

"Do you know of any enemies Liz may of had?" Arthur asked, deciding to get straight to the point.

"Sort of…" Emma answered wearily. "He was more an enemy of her husband, Rodrich. His name is Gilbert they have known each other since they were kids living in Austria. It was a bad love triangle, and in the end, Liz picked Rodrich. The two of them moved to the US, and hadn't heard of him sense."

"Is he here now or something?" Arthur asked. Emma nodded.

"He started popping around about a year ago, trying to win Liz over. Though by then she was already engaged. Gilbert began harassing them a lot…"

"Do you think he would go as far as to kill Elizaveta?" Arthur asked. Emma was silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

"I don't think so… he may be a complete maniac, but he was in love with her. If anything, I personally think he would have killed Rodrich."

"Interesting…" Arthur says, writing down the last thing Emma said. He then says goodbye and dismisses her, saying goodbye. "It was nice getting to talk to you. I'll be heading back to my work office now."

* * *

Arthur arrived back at the FBI building around 2:00 pm. He heads into Alfred's office where the American is still sitting at his desk, working on his computer. Arthur walks in, knocking on the door twice.

"You don't look like you've moved since I left you here this morning." Arthur comments, crossing his arms and leaning against the door. He had a smirk on his lips as well.

Alfred looked up and rolled his eyes with a grin on his face.

"I spoke with Roderich again, and he gave me another suspect. I also cleared him from being a suspect." Alfred said.

"That's good," Arthur answered. "who did he give you as a suspect?"

"A man known as Gilbert Beilschmidt. He's actually our boss's older brother… isn't that weird?" Alfred stated.

Arthur went quiet, and he felt his stomach drop. He didn't want to talk about Gilbert with Alfred. Though after a minute of silence, Arthur realized he had to say something.

"Oh?" He spit out. "Interesting. That's ironic, actually. What was said about him?"

"He was obsessed with the victim, and hated Roderich. They both had been competing for her until about five years ago when Liz chose Roderich over Gilbert. So Roderich thinks that Gilbert might have killed her out of spite."

"That's ridiculous," Arthur sid without a second thought. Alfred raised an eyebrow, feeling suspicious of Arthur's reaction. Now Arthur was left in the awkward position of defending himself against Alfred which he knew would look bad. "I mean… that name was mentioned to me too. By one of the victim's co workers. But she doesn't think that he would have killed her…"

"That's interesting," Alfred mused. "I'll talk to Luddy about it. See if I can get the guy in for an interview."

"Luddy?" Arthur questioned, raising a bushy brow. "you're not exactly a professional guy, are you Jones?" Arthur said, rolling his eyes.

"I like to call it playful and light hearted. You need some of that in this type of job you know." Alfred said with a childish grin plastered on his lips.

Arthur couldn't help chuckling and rolling his eyes. "You ready for a lunch break yet?" The Brit asked.

"I thought that was supposed to be 'professional'?" Alfred teased. Arthur turned his back to Alfred, shaking his head.

"Let's go already, twat. I'm hungry and I'm sure you are too."

"RIght behind ya!"

* * *

Gilbert paced anxiously around his apartment. He was not in a good position. When he heard the door open, his head shot up to see the tall, blond Frenchman he had been waiting for.

"Did you talk to him?" Gilbert asked hastily. "Is he gonna stick on our side?"

"He was never on our side, mon ami," Francis answered. "and he hung up on me. But now I have a question for you."

"What?" Gilbert asked, crossing his arms. It was obvious he was rather irritated.

"Why did you bring Alayna to the US?"

Both men stared intensely at each other. They were at odds with each other… again.

 **AN: Well, that took me quite a while to write! Three days, but it's finally done! :D I worked hard on this chapter, and yes, there's a side story. ;) In case you didn't quite pick up on it, Alayna is Seychelles and Emma is Belgium. There's a good side plot involving Francis, Alayna and Arthur that will become unraveled along the way! Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to review; your feedback is what keeps this story going!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Why did you bring Alayna to the US?" Francis asked venomously. His eyes were narrowed, and his arms crossed. Gilbert stood dumbfounded with his arms staying at his side.

"Blackmail. Arthur knows what he did to her. So having her here makes the guilt stronger, and our secret quiet until we finish the job," Gilbert grinned conceitedly at the Frenchman who was not pleased with the explanation. "that way, both of our asses are saved."

"You mean yours," Francis spat. "I told you to leave her in England. Where she would be safe with Arthur's family, and not have to deal with any more trauma than she already has."

"She'll be fine," Gilbert said, turning his back to Francis now. "in fact, I bet she doesn't even know that her parents were murdered. She just thinks they disappeared, right?"

"She has the feeling they are dead," Francis stated. "and I don't want her knowing that Arthur and I had something to do with it. It will break her heart even more…"

Gilbert rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to him. Francis walked over and sat next to the German man.

"Don't worry," Gilbert said. "she's fine. She's here. You can keep an eye on her. I won't hurt her, I promise." Francis stayed silent before stating,

"And that is the same thing you told Elizaveta before you shot her."

* * *

Because it was a Saturday afternoon, the cafe that Arthur and Alfred had originally chosen to eat at was packed. Arthur held his stomach as it growled rather loudly.

"Bloody hell…" Arthur muttered. Alfred sighed heavily.

"This is going to take forever…" Alfred groaned. "We should just get take out."

"And where would we eat it?" Arthur asked.

"My place. I have a nice apartment, and it's like five minutes away from work." Alfred grinned, and pulled on Arthur's sleeve as he continued, "C'mon! I can call in something now then by the time we get to my place the food will be nearly there!"

"I suppose…" Arthur agreed, reluctantly.

The two men then made their way back to Alfred's car, and got in, buckling themselves up. Alfred pulled out his cell phone and asked Arthur,

"Do you want to just share a pizza or something?"

"Sure, I'm fine with that," Arthur answered. "Green peppers?"

"And bacon?" Alfred added. Arthur looked towards Alfred in disgust.

"Bacon? On bloody pizza? Where the hell are you from?"

"New York," Alfred said with a childish grin. "I'll get half bacon, alright?"

"Fine." Arthur said.

Alfred then ordered the food, as well as two two liter bottles of coke, and drove off to his apartment. He put the radio on to a country station, and the two stayed quiet for the rest of the car ride. It was by chance that Arthur and Alfred arrived at the apartment at the exact same time the food arrived. Alfred tipped the delivery guy, while Arthur took the pizza. Alfred then took the two bottles of coke and lead Arthur inside of the apartment. Once inside, Arthur smiled and commented,

"Good timing, yeah?"

"Perfect," Alfred agreed, laughing as well. Alfred then lead Arthur into the living room, and the two of them sat down on the couch.

"Just put the pizza box on the coffee table," Alfred said. "I'll go grab some plates and cups." Arthur did as told and sat on the couch after. While Alfred was away in the kitchen, Arthur took a moment to take in the surroundings; there were a few Dunkin Donuts iced coffee cups around (empty) as well as multiple video game consoles by the TV. There was a fluffy, fawn blanket on the other side of the couch as well.

"Not very cleanly…" Arthur muttered to himself. Alfred then approached the Brit and placed a pile of paper plates with two paper cups as well. Grinning, the American chimed,

"Ready to dig in?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, but agreed and opened up the pizza box while Alfred opened up the soda. After pouring the soda, Alfred capped it and jumped up excitedly.

"There's someone I want you to meet!" he exclaimed. Before Arthur could even answer the American, he darted off and headed towards where Arthur presumed his bedroom was. Less than three minutes later, Alfred came back out, but in his arms was a fluffy, floppy-eared fawn colored belgian malinois puppy. "Meet Koda! The newest member of our team and my family!"

"Oh my god," Arthur said, jaw gaping. "she is bloody adorable."

"I know, right!" Alfred said. The puppy cried, wagging her tail as she licked Alfred's face. The American chuckled and placed her on the floor, patting her head. "I've been nagging Ludwig forever to get us a police dog trainer. He told me if I found a dog, he would find a trainer. Her training starts next week."

The puppy raced over to Arthur, flailing her two floppy front legs onto Arthur's knees while barking and wagging her tail.

"What a pretty girl you are," Arthur cooed with a smile on his face.

"And she's gonna be a total badass," Alfred said with a laugh. He then walked over and pushed her off of Arthur, sitting next to the Brit himself. "go lay down, Koda." Alfred said, and the puppy trotted over to her bed at the end of the couch, curling up and plopping down.

Arthur and Alfred then began eating their lunch and chatting. Even though Arthur claimed this was going to stay professional, it was the complete opposite. They talked about their lives, their interests and their friends. Alfred was an open person, and he didn't hold anything back.

"What made you want to be a detective in the FBI?" Arthur asked.

"My parents," Alfred said, chewing a piece of pizza. "My mother was murdered by my father when I was fourteen. My brother, sister and I were then thrown into foster care. My brother and I were kept together because we were twins, but our sister was separated because it's hard to keep three kids in one foster home together."

"I-I'm so sorry," Arthur said. "was your sister younger?"

Alfred nodded. "Two years. I was pissed when they took her away from us, but there was nothing I could do. We reconnected again when my brother and I got out, and we were given custody when we both turned eighteen.

"That's good…" Arthur said softly. Alfred nodded.

"What about you? What got you interested?"

Arthur went quiet. He had a bad history and was nowhere nearly as open as Alfred was about his hard life. Therefore, he decided to stretch the truth just a little.

"I was also in foster care," Arthur said. "hopped around from house to house, then was tossed in a group home. Nobody thought I would accomplish anything worth something, so I decided to prove those twats wrong."

"Well looks like you did just that!" Alfred exclaimed, a giant smile plastered on his face. "I'm glad you did that. Us foster kids gotta stick together, right?"

"Ah… right." Arthur agreed, beginning to feel awkward. His past was the last thing that he wanted anyone, especially Alfred, to find out about.

 **AN: Bit of a short chapter I know. But if I didn't end it here, it would have been WAY too long. Anyways, what are you guys thinking? What do you think about Arthur's past? And Alfred's puppy (I love mals but could never own one so Alfie gets one instead)? Please give me your feedback! That's what makes these chapters happen!**

 **I also want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited and a followed this story! It means a lot to me that you all seem to be taking such a liking to it. I might start making the chapters a little longer after this, but I'm not sure yet. Do you guys want longer chapters? Let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Alfred had the day off. He spent this day working with Koda and the Police Dog trainer, Vash. The two men had brought Koda to the dog training station, and decided to start with basic obedience.

"She's been really good lately," Alfred said. "I've only had her for a few days now, but her understanding of basic obedience is great."

"That's good to know," Vash said in return. "can you demonstrate for me what she knows already?"

"Of course!" Alfred exclaimed. Koda's tail started to wag in excitement from Alfred's excitement. The American turned his attention to the pup, dropping her leash and taking a few steps back.

"Koda, up," Alfred said. Koda stood up. "good girl." and he tossed her a treat. "Koda, sit," Alfred said next. And Koda sat properly. Alfred praised her once more and tossed her another treat. Now, Alfred took a step closer to Koda and pointed at the ground. "Koda, down," he commanded." Koda yawned then stretched her paws out to lay down. This time, Alfred bent down and gave her a good pat on the head. "Good job, Koda, good girl!" he chimed, handing her another treat.

"You've done an amazing job with her," Vash said, arms crossed but looking impressed. "how is her recall?"

"Haven't worked on that yet. We're going to start that tomorrow." Alfred said. Vash shook his head.

"You're going to start that today after this session. Koda cannot start any real police training until she has mastered recall. That is essential." Vash stated.

Alfred nodded, and picked up Koda's leash from the ground.

"What are we going to do today then?" he asked curiously.

"We are going to socialize her with my dogs." Vash said. He then whistled loudly, and not long after two large dogs came running towards them from the other side of the open field. There was a mostly black German Shepherd who had a tan muzzle and tan paws. There was also a brindle colored Dutch Shepherd with long fur that flowed slightly in the wind. Both dogs came and sat on each side of Vash.

"These are my dogs that help with training," Vash said. "Bruce is the German Shepherd and Diamond is the Dutch Shepherd. They are both retired police dogs."

"They seem like great dogs," Alfred said, admiring both pooches. Vash nodded.

"They are." he stated. "Let's begin."

* * *

Arthur had the day off as well, and after being harassed all morning, he finally agreed to meet with Francis. He was not happy about it because Francis was just another part of his past that he wanted to keep there. Between him and Gilbert, Arthur's plan of a fresh start didn't seem to be working out all too well.

The two men met at a small cafe within the city. They sat at a table inside and ordered drinks before beginning to chat.

"We have a problem and I think I know how to fix it." Francis stated. Arthur frowned.

"You have a problem. And I have a problem. But we don't have the same problem." Arthur sneered.

"Wrong," Francis stated. "We both have a problem with Gilbert. He's blackmailing you with my cousin. That's why she's here."

"Go figure," Arthur spat with sarcasm. "I'm not taking part in killing Gilbert. That would just screw up my job here. Like it did back in England with your bloody aunt and uncle."

"They deserved what they got, mon chere," Francis said, but Arthur cut him off.

"We're not together anymore, frog. So don't go giving me your dumb French pet names. I never liked them, and I like them even less now that you fucked up my entire life."

"Arthur," Francis began. "If he is dead,"

"Then that poor girl Elizabeta doesn't get her justice. She and her husband deserve justice."

Francis sighed and stayed quiet for a moment. It didn't take him long to come up with something to say though.

"You're losing your damn job either way. You know Gilbert is guilty, but you're not turning him in. If you decide to turn him in, he sheds light on what you did in England."

"And I'll say it was your idea and you helped." Arthur growled.

Francis rolled his eyes and and said rather bitterly,

"And then you and I can be cellmates for a lifetime in prison! Does that not sound fun to you?"

Arthur's glare deepened, and he stood up, kicking his chair back.

"I'm not doing this with you, frog. Goodbye." And Arthur stormed out of the cafe.

 **AN: Hey guys this is a really short chapter that I wanted to throw up quick. The meeting between Francis and Arthur is kinda important, so I hope you payed attention! And believe it or not, so is the training going on with Koda. Koda is actually going to have a pretty big role soon. ;) So I hope you guys enjoyed this short chapter, and I promise the following chapters will have much more length to them! Don't forget to favorite and review!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Warning**_ **: This chapter may contain triggering content. Arthur has a major panic attack. If this is something that may trigger you** _ **do not read this chapter**_ **. Send me a PM and I will give you a full, in depth summary without the major details of the panic attack. Thank you, and be safe.**

* * *

A few weeks had passed by, and there had not been much success on the case. Alfred had returned with Feliciana to the crime scene to try and gather anymore possible evidence that could have been missed. Koda, Alfred's malinois puppy, had gone through extensive training these last two weeks, and both Alfred and Vash decided that taking her to the crime scene would help improve her skills. Therefore, Koda was off leash with a black K-9 Police Force Unit vest on, searching the creek refusing to lift her nose from the ground. Alfred and Feliciana watched carefully from the sidelines.

As Koda sniffed the surface of the creek, she turned in the direction of Alfred and Feliciana, lifting her head and pointing her ears. She sniffed the air and began to bare her teeth at something behind Alfred and Feliciana. Both detectives turned around only to find Arthur making his way down the hill, crunching dead leaves under his feet as he made his way down the small hill.

"Sorry I'm late," The Brit muttered. "I was in a meeting with Ludwig." He eyed Koda suspiciously considering the dog continued to bare her teeth.

"Koda, it's fine, you know Artie!" Alfred said, and Koda calmed down, but did not look away from the Brit. Alfred turned his attention back to Arthur and smiled slightly. "We haven't found anything new yet… I'm thinking that we're probably going to have to call Gilbert in for an interview."

Arthur raised a skeptical brow while at Alfred, then glanced around at the scene.

"Really?" Arthur asked. "I suppose that would be a good idea since we have had two people mention his name. We should probably -" Arthur's phone rang, interrupting his thought process. "Just a second," he muttered, glancing at the caller ID. Speak of the Devil. Either way, it wasn't safe to take that call. In fact, Gilbert continuously calling him wasn't good for either of them, honestly. Arthur declined the call and turned his phone off. When he returned his attention back to Alfred, it seemed as though he had commanded his dog to continue searching the scene. "Thought you couldn't find anything?" he mused.

"Don't want to give up just yet. Plus, even if we don't find anything new, I want to see if Koda can find some old stuff left behind. It'll help enhance her abilities to help us on this case and future cases." Alfred answered.

Feliciana squealed in excitement. "I can't wait until she is off duty so I can cuddle her and give her some tasty treats!"

Koda's ears perked up at the word, and she turned her head to stare at Feliciana, tail beginning to wag. Alfred shushed Feliciana, knowing that Koda knew that word too well. She was still a work in progress, so distractions came up every now and again.

"Shhhh, she's still training!" Alfred shushed. He then pointed at the creek and ordered, "Search, Koda."

Koda did not hesitate to resume her work, and ended up walking into the creek. It wasn't that deep, and the water only went about an inch and a half above her paws. Her nose stayed just above the surface of the water as she continued to sniff down the creek. Just then, she barked once and started splashing around in a particular spot. This caught all three agents' attention and Alfred ran over to see what was found.

"What'd you find, girl?" Alfred asked. Koda parked a few more times, wagging her tail furiously. She was in the center of the creek, so Alfred had to walk straight in. He slipped on a pair of gloves, and looked in the water. There was a torn, brown gardening glove, and Alfred lifted the glove out of the water.

"Looks like she found something," Alfred said, looking over the glove. Koda sat in the water, panting happily and awaiting her reward. Alfred searched his bag and pulled out a large, black Kong* toy, and tossed it on land in order to get her out of the water. Koda raced after the toy, picking it up in her mouth and beginning to chew. Alfred followed Koda out of the water, and was met by Feliciana with a large plastic bag.

"I'll take it back to the forensics unit to have it analyzed," Feliciana said, smiling. She then hurried back to her car after Alfred placed the glove in the bag.

"Guess we're heading back with Artie," Alfred said, and Koda wagged her tail.

"Not like that," Arthur scoffed. "Do tell me you brought a towel. I don't want to have my car smell like wet dog for a week."

Alfred rolled his eyes at Arthur before connecting Koda's leash to her collar and leading the dog towards the car. "It's just her paws," Alfred assured. "And I'll make sure to take my boots off as well."

Arthur pulled out his keys and reluctantly followed Alfred and Koda to his car. "Wet dog and smelly man feet. Can't bloody wait." Arthur murmured to himself.

* * *

Back at the station, Alfred had Koda chew on a Kong* toy in her crate as he sat at a desk and made a few pointless phone calls while waiting to hear back from Feliciana. Arthur sat with Alfred and waited listened to the phone calls with great boredom obvious on his face. After the phone calls, Alfred pulled up contact information for Gilbert and looked it over. His name, phone number and address were all present. He had been arrested in the past for petty crimes, so a copy of his fingerprints was also scanned in the file. Those would probably come in handy in the near future.

Just then, Feliciana happened to stroll on inside along with Ludwig. She had the glove as well as a manila folder in hand as well. Arthur and Alfred both stopped what they were doing and sat up to look at the couple.

"What'd you find?" Alfred asked with a glimpse of hope in his eyes. Feliciana placed the folder and glove down in front of him. She sighed and said,

"There is DNA from two people on here. And two people's fingerprints. I was able to match one fingerprint to Elizabeta, but I cannot find the file of Gilbert's fingerprints in my system.

"That's okay," Alfred said. "I have a copy of his file up right here."

Feliciana hurried over to Alfred and looked over the file. She then opened up the folder and took out a few photos of the unidentified fingerprints found on the glove. After about five minutes, Feliciana exclaimed proudly,

"It's a match!"

Alfred's face beamed with excitement. "That means we finally have enough evidence to get him arrested! Or at least an interview. Arthur, you wanna -" Mid sentence Alfred realized that Arthur had snuck out of the room. He paused and glanced around. "Where did Arthur go?"

* * *

Arthur had stepped outside and leaned against the brick building, just out of sight of the door. He needed a moment to think things over for himself. That's it, his life was screwed. His life was screwed the very moment social services came and took him out of that house as a child. His life was screwed the moment he fell for Francis at sixteen and got involved in his drama with his family, plus Gilbert and Antonio. America was supposed to be a place for people to come and start over; live free and happy with plenty of opportunity. Instead, America just fucked him over more than he did himself. Arthur slid down the wall and sat on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. What was he going to do? He couldn't keep this act up much longer, it was eating him up inside. He felt his heart racing rapidly, and sweat was forming on his forehead. It was getting harder and harder to breath, and now his fingers were beginning to go numb. What the hell was happening to him?

"Artie?" Alfred called out. Alfred opened the door and it didn't take long for him to find Arthur curled in a ball against the building. He could hear the Brit's breathing and was quick to get to his side. "Arthur, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

He didn't budge. Instead, his body began shaking and his breathing got worse. Alfred lifted Arthur's chin to look at him. "Arthur, what's wrong?" Alfred asked once more. "Can you talk?" Arthur shook his head shaking slightly. The Brit's mind was screaming 'help me', but no words were able to escape his mouth.

"I gotch' you," Alfred said. Without a second thought, Alfred lifted Arthur carefully over his shoulder and brought him to the car. At the car, Arthur was able to move his body a bit, and he was able to buckle himself, although he still couldn't muster any words out of his mouth. That was okay though because Alfred put on calming music on the radio and drove to his apartment. He still had no idea where Arthur lived, and Arthur was in no condition to be giving directions.

Alfred pulled into his assigned parking spot at his apartment complex. He turned the radio off, then the car and turned his attention back to Arthur. "How ya feeling?" he asked. Arthur shrugged his shoulders, though it looked as though he were carrying five bricks on each shoulder. His eyes seemed droopy, but he unbuckled the seatbelt and got out of Alfred's car. Alfred did the same and stood close to Arthur, walking the same slow pace as the Brit.

They were both able to make it inside, and Alfred led Arthur over to the couch. He noted that the apartment was much cleaner than the first time he was over. Alfred noted that Arthur was still shaking and had him sit down and put a blanket over him.

"I'm gonna go make you some hot tea, alright?" Alfred said. Arthur perked up.

"You have tea?" he mustered.

Alfred lit up when he noticed Arthur was able to speak. Barely speak, but still speak.

"Yeah. Green tea, is that fine with you?" Alfred asked. Arthur shrugged. It was better than nothing.

Alfred returned from the kitchen with a hot cup of green tea and handed it to Arthur who took it eagerly and sipped it twice. "Thank you…" Arthur murmured. "And sorry… for being such a pathetic burden…"

The American chuckled and shook his head. "You're not a burden, Artie, trust me." Arthur frowned at the nickname, but didn't fight back. "And besides," Alfred continued. "Panic attacks aren't pathetic. I used to get them all the time after my mother died."

"Panic attacks?" Arthur repeated. "What are you talking about?" Alfred cocked his head to the side.

"You were having a panic attack. Hard to breath, can barely speak, shaking uncontrollably. All major signs of a panic attack." Alfred explained. Arthur sipped his tea once more, cringing at the taste. It was as though he were drinking a mixture of grass, bark and dirt. He preferred black tea; English breakfast to be exact. Although even Arthur knew he was in no place to complain.

"Thank you…," Arthur murmured once more. "For everything…"

"No prob, dude." Alfred said, grinning his usual goofy grin. He then sat down next to Arthur on the couch, and Arthur subconsciously allowed himself to lean against the American, cause a blush to spread across both their cheeks. After a moment, Alfred casually suggested, "You know… you can uh, stay the night if you'd like…"

"Mnhm…" Arthur hummed, his eyes shut and nearly asleep on Alfred's shoulder. "Thanks…"

Alfred smiled warmly at Arthur. The poor man had obviously been through a lot, and Alfred wanted to be the one to make that hurt go away. He was determined to be Arthur's hero because after today, it was clear that a hero is exactly what Arthur needed in his life.

Little did Alfred know how right he was.

* * *

 _Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

 _"Hello, Gilbert. This is Ludwig. I'm calling on professional business. It is mandatory you come down to the station tomorrow at 2:00pm. Your interview will be with our lead detective, Alfred Jones. Goodbye."_

Gilbert threw his phone at the wall, completely enraged by the voicemail. It was left by his own little brother! Well, at least he wasn't being arrested. Either way, it seemed though Arthur wasn't doing well on his end of the deal, and that meant taking slight action against the Brit.

 **AN:** LONG CHAPTER YAS. I HIT 2000 WORDS GUYS. I MET MY GOAL. But yeah, I actually worked really hard on this, and I really hope you all enjoyed it! Things are spicing up in the FBI AND Arthur and Alfred's love lives ;)

More is bound to happen. I also apologize for how long this took. Had a major down swing, failed a couple classes, got fired from my job… blech. Either way, I am picking up the pieces. Don't forget to favorite and review and follow! See you next time!


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